


The Longest Day

by Kanturis



Category: Stories Told
Genre: Gen, Monster of the Week: s1e5, Stories Told - Freeform, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 22:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30011916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanturis/pseuds/Kanturis
Summary: Tuesday Cooper finds herself stuck in a time loop and tries a different approach to this iteration of the day.
Kudos: 2





	The Longest Day

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the GM and Cast of the Stories Told twitch channel and their Monster of the Week TTRPG.

Class was coming to an end and Tuesday was looking forward to it. At least then she could do something that felt worthwhile. “Ms Cooper, your homework?”  
Tuesday Cooper reached into her bag without looking and handed over the assignment by muscle memory as the bell began to ring, watching everyone else began to grab their things and move towards the door.

She considered her options as she followed the crowd filing out. Victor would be working, that post-breakfast vomit on the cafeteria floor wasn't going to clean itself. Magenta was skulking, avoiding classes and generally expecting to not be found. She'd definitely be surprised if Tuesday was waiting around a corner for her again. Madelaine had a class to teach that would make her unavailable for the next hour. And it's not like Tuesday really needed to go to any classes today, she already knew all the material. In the absence of answers... What Tuesday really needed was a break.

~~~~~

Madelaine just didn't get how students could be so disinterested. They'd chosen to come here for college, they'd _chosen_ the class. And it hadn't been her class originally but she'd put in so much work to make it interesting and engaging. They just had no respect for English and she had the essays to prove it. Judging by the way Madelaine's office door was lying slightly ajar, they also had no respect for Teacher's (Assistants). She glanced around certain that the culprit had long since fled, yet her eyes were drawn to a familiar member of custodial staff mopping an at odd stain.  
“Hey, uh, Victor? Have you been in my office?”  
They spun round quickly, eyes glancing from side from side before focusing on Madelaine. “What? In your office? Yes?” Victor sounded confused, the yes drawn out as they tried to work out what was going on. “We've met there a few times before. Are you ok? Did you hit your head or something?”  
Madelaine blinked and shook her head. “Today. Have you been in my office, _today_?”  
“No, I've had far too much work to do. For the Psuedosociety. There's not been much about campus today. Besides you've had classes all morning, there's no point barging in to your office if you're not there.”  
Madelaine tilted her head slightly before rubbing her eyes and continuing. “I'm just going to move past that for now. Victor someone's been in my office, do you have any idea who's been in there?”  
“Nope! Unless, no... Magenta might break in somewhere but she wouldn't visit a teacher.”  
“I know you think that's reassuring but... Look, could you just stick around while we work out who's been in there?”  
Victor nodded enthusiastically, “Sure, I can definitely do that.” Before stepping behind Madelaine, mop readied for any potential threats. Madelaine gently pushed the door open eyes widening as she saw a body lying facedown.  
“Tuesday?! Are you ok?!” There was a silent few seconds that felt like an eternity before a groan came from Tuesday.  
“I'm fine. I'm just so done with today.” The voice was muffled by the rug Tuesday had made no effort to move her mouth away from.  
Madelaine quirked an eyebrow “It's barely eleven.”  
“I wish that meant anything still.”  
Victor lowered the mop and peered around Madelaine at the fallen Chosen. “Did you not sleep well or something?”  
“I don't even remember when last night was.” Tuesday hadn't made any motion to get up, settling for turning her head to the side so her voice was less muffled. “It's a long story, but it gets shorter every time I tell it. I'm stuck in a time loop. I've started this day at, like, nine each time and when the bell tower stops ringing at four... Loop takes me back to the start.”  
Victor looked interested at this. “A real time loop? Like, travelling through time repeatedly? This is awesome!”  
Madelaine looked less impressed. “A time loop? I see. Tuesday, is this your way of saying you need more time for your assignments?”  
There was a loud sigh from the floor and Tuesday raised an arm to point at Madelaine. “You never believe me at first, that's why you told me your middle name is Louisianna and that you can do that body-skipping thing with your hands. Magenta kept pressing you for weirder stuff that we'd have no way of possibly knowing otherwise but you seemed sure you'd be weirded out enough by me knowing that.” She swung her arm to the right. “And you just accept it, because you've been looking forward to anything weird like this.”  
Victor shrugged and nodded, not pointing out that Tuesday was pointing to the wrong side of Madelaine.  
“Wait, I told you tha... You said Magenta was the one to get me to tell you that? Is she stuck in this... time loop as well?” It didn't feel natural to talk about a time loop as a real thing but apparently today was the day that was going to change.  
“No, she thinks its the first time today's happened too. She'll be around the back of the science block about now probably.”  
Madelaine gave a glance to Victor who nodded and went to go find Magenta. Madelaine stepped into her office properly, pulling the door shut behind her and kneeling next to Tuesday. “How many times have you done this?”  
“I don't know. I think this is day twenty-three? Something like that anyway.”  
“Don't you want to, you know, fix this? Maybe try another angle and get time...” It still didn't sound like it should be a logical sentence to Madelaine. “Back to normal?”  
“I mean, yes. But also, it's really weird. I don't feel like I've been up for all of these days, but I'm also starting to feel really tired with all these new memories. I really need some sort of rest.”  
“And I get that, but is the floor of my office really the best place to rest?”  
“I mean, it's here.”  
“Okay... Look, breaking my door still isn't great, I mean, we're going to have to fix that.”  
Tuesday laughed. “That's the thing about time loops. Not a problem after 4PM.”  
Madelaine's eyes narrowed. “But what if this is the time that it doesn't reset? That whatever's causing it just stops?”  
Tuesday stiffened slightly. “Uhh... I guess we hope that changing nothing just changes nothing until the loop resets it all?”  
“Well now I really hope you're right but I'm still going to have to plan as if time's going to fix itself. Are you going to be okay here if I mark some assignments?” Tuesday nodded, trying to sink further into the rug.

~~~~~

Victor and Magenta entered the office, causing Madelaine to look up at them.  
“Victor! Please knock first, I keep telling you this.”  
“Oh, yeah! Of course. But we're already here, so....” Victor slowly closed the door behind them and a concerned looking Magenta.  
“Is she dead? Because I swear I didn't do it. She's, like, one of the few people I vaguely care about.”  
“I'm fine.” Tuesday murmured half into the cushion that had, at some point, found its way towards her and become a makeshift pillow.  
“You really don't look fine. Is anyone going to explain what's going on here?”  
Victor cleared their throat and answered. “Tuesday's stuck in a time loop, she keeps repeating today but we've no idea why! It's been quite a few times though, and seems like that's tiring living through the same day over and over, so....” They gestured vaguely towards Tuesday's prone form.  
“So Tuesday's looping through today on repeat, we've not figured out why any of the previous times and ya girl just wants to take this one out and rest? I'd say she's got it all figured out, but she could really do with finding somewhere that isn't a hard floor. Unless there's something I've missed?”  
“Oh, there's some detectives after you. They tried to find you after this afternoon's Psuedosociety meeting.” Tuesday lifted her head to speak before collapsing into the cushion again.  
“I mean, that's not really that surprising.”  
Madelaine cocked her head. “I feel like I should really be asking more about that, but how are you all so just, okay with time loops being a thing?”  
Victor looked confused at the question “Because it makes total sense? Of all the different weird creatures and phenomena out there, you draw the line at time loops? I'm amazed it hasn't happened more often to be honest. How many people have wished for a perfect day but just had no idea what to do to make it happen? Wait, unless it has happened several times before today and we just never knew...” Victor drifted off thinking about all the times in the past that might have been affected by a time loop before Magenta picked up the silence.  
“Yeah, besides, it's not like it makes a difference so might as well trust Tuesday on this. Either she's pulling the greatest prank of all time and we basically take today off, or she's right and there's no point worrying about today because it's not going to be permanent.”  
Madelaine still looked sceptical but seemed to shrug. “Alright, well I guess it's fine for Tuesday to relax and to postpone our meeting until after this is fixed. But I'm still going to arrange for someone to fix that door and mark these assignments, just in case!”  
Magenta rolled her eyes but didn't argue the point any further. It was easier for them all to just let the day pass, keeping watch over The Chosen One while she got the rest she so badly needed. Tuesday started to rouse again as the chimes began at four o'clock, readying herself for the next today to begin again.


End file.
